Joan Sutherland

<p>Joan Alston Sutherland was born on November 7, 1926, in Point Piper, Sydney, Australia, to Scottish parents. Her mother, an amateur mezzo-soprano, taught Joan basic vocal exercises by ear from childhood. Winning the prestigious Sun Aria competition in 1949, Sutherland moved to London in 1951 to study at the Opera School of the Royal College of Music, making her Covent Garden debut in 1952 as the First Lady in Mozart's <em>The Magic Flute</em>.</p><p>Initially trained as a dramatic Wagnerian soprano, her musical trajectory changed dramatically after marrying pianist and conductor Richard Bonynge in 1954. Bonynge recognized that Sutherland possessed an extraordinarily rare voice: monumental dramatic power and size combined with effortless, bell-like agility up to high F (F6). He convinced her to specialize in the neglected Italian <em>bel canto</em> repertoire of Bellini, Donizetti, and Rossini.</p><p>On February 17, 1959, Sutherland triumphed in a legendary Franco Zeffirelli production of Donizetti's <em>Lucia di Lammermoor</em> at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, conducted by Tullio Serafin. Her dazzling, crystalline coloratura trills and poignant acting during the 15-minute 'Mad Scene' catapulted her into international stardom overnight. When she performed Handel's <em>Alcina</em> at La Fenice in Venice in 1960, the Italian audience ecstatically dubbed her <strong>La Stupenda</strong> ('The Stupendous One'). For three decades, Sutherland commanded the stages of the Metropolitan Opera, Paris Opéra, and Sydney Opera House, forming an immortal partnership with young tenor Luciano Pavarotti, who called her 'the voice of the century.' Created a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 1979 and awarded the Order of Merit (OM) in 1991, she died peacefully in Switzerland on October 10, 2010.</p>